“Unburnable Qurans” at Skidmore to counter Florida event

Skidmore College’s Office of Religious and Spiritual Life will host the program “Unburnable Qurans” from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday – the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attacks in Manhattan and Washington, D.C. – on the Case Center patio outside of the Burgess Café.

The event is planned by a student and designed to counter Saturday’s “International Burn a Koran Day” in Gainesville, Fla., college officials said. “Unburnable Qurans” will feature students and professors of Skidmore College who are Muslim or are scholars about Islam and Islamic culture. The public is welcome for conversations. “Unburnable” digital copies of the Quran will be available for browsing.

The event will have a casual, open format for conversation. There will be no prepared remarks or speeches. There is no intent to preach Islam or support any particular ideology, officials said. “The event is for learning about Islam in a media climate where debates often rely on poorly understood facts and outright misinformation,” the college said.

“Unburnable Qurans” is inspired by “Islamophobia,” including the “Ground Zero Mosque” issue, the arson at a mosque construction site in Murfreesboro, Tenn., the stabbing of a Bangladeshi cab driver in New York City and especially Terry Jones’ “Burn a Koran Day,” the college said. “All have revealed a range of reaction to Islam in America, from misunderstanding to contempt. The goal of “Unburnable Qurans” is to underline that Americans are not fearful of Islam, but are instead tolerant of and curious to learn about the religion.”

For more information, contact organizer Alexander Brehm at abrehm@skidmore.edu.

People get so hot and bothered by this…Its stupid and offensive, but when people feel they need to protect their heritage and feel a religious and ideologically affronted this is what happens, its only natural. By the way, I bet many of you never heard about this: its because the media played it down – http://www.worthynews.com/5740-outrage-over-us-military-bible-burnings-in-afghanistan. Catering to the minority is nothing new in this country, but no one is launching a crusade, so stop launching diversity days and worthless social gatherings to make it seem like your waging a war…

I have great hope for our future when our students are able to recognize and counter destructive adult behavior. Just say NO to a bigoted congregation…they do not represent the vast majority of the Nation’s Christians!

Burning the Koran? Who cares, really? This event is nothing more than the rabid rantings of a complete moron. Didn’t even merit media attention. This response from Skidmore is similarly stupid. On the other hand, let’s be real. The cowardly 9/11 mass murders were committed in the name of islam, that is a fact. It’s also a fact that the attacks were widely cheered in the islamic world. In fact after 9/11/01, “Osama” became one of the most widely used names for newborn babies in Saudi Arabia. What does that tell you about how the “Arab Street” viewed the murders? For those that don’t connect the dots very well, it should tell you that the attacks were widely supported throughout the islamic world. This is especially true considering that not one Arab or islamic country’s leaders publically condemned the attacks and mass murder of thousands of Americans. This is totally unacceptable, disgusting, and disgraceful. While I don’t have time to waste to burn any Korans, I certainly understand the sentiment, and I think it should be legal considering that it’s a free speech issue. Even those who disagree with the act of burning these books hopefully understand that in this country, speech is protected – and that includes things that are offensive. After all, there was never a need to ensure the rights of “polite” speech which doesn’t offend anymore, there’s a need to protect constroversial ideas. Welcome to America.

There was a public outcry from the Muslim world after 9/11, both in America and around the world. The attacks were not widely supported. There were indeed people who celebrated in the streets, but even the Palestinian National Authority condemned these acts, and stated it was not representative of the Palestinian people as a whole. The Libyan government also condemned the 9/11 attack…so there were indeed Arab governments opposed and outraged by the ill guided actions of a minority which twists the words of the Quran to justify the hate in their hearts. Those are just the two I know of off hand.
Now, I agree that Jones has every right to free speech. It’s ok to hate others in America, we’re raised that way. I can’t agree with it, and I find it ignorant to blindly hate any group without better information than what is filtered through American media…but we have that right. And I am glad Skidmore is trying something. I not sure they’ll be able to change any minds, but…who knows? Perhaps someone will pick up some actual information about the Middle East and Muslims as opposed to the preached hearsay and biased statistics flowing from those who do too little research.

I know liberals have a short memory, but i will never get the images in my head of the people jumping out of the windows. Parents not able to say goodbye or i love you one last time to their children. husbands and wives not saying goodbye. I will never forget where i was that day, nor will i ever forget the sadness and the fear of most americans wondering whats going to happen next.
and you wonder if its ok to build a mosque there? will is it ok to build a klan museum next to martin luther kings memorial? 3000 innocent people were murdered, all in the name of someones religion.

When will America learn it is called common respect. Why any one would want to burn anothers religious beliefs or why any one would build a mosque on the site or near the site of 9/11 is beyond me. If we go back to respecting one anothers beliefs there would be no need for any of this, of course this is America so if it can be done, we as American’s will push it as far as we can. Lets stop looking at our “rights” and actually do what is RIGHT. Then and only then will we respect each others beliefs.

I’m all for the Pastor burning the Koran if he wants to. It’s his right to freedom of expression. If the people of the Islamic world are so thin skinned then that’s their sad problem. Remember how they reacted to the book by Salmon Rushdie. Muslims are completely intolerant. I’ve seen the flag burned, bibles burned, the pope’s picture ripped by Sinead O’connor. Who Cares? They are just objects. I wouldn’t care if someone pissed on a picture of my mother. It would be nice if people respected each other but, simply put they don’t have to. The Muslim world can’t demand that we respect their Koran, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Now in my ear I hear the 5 o’clock news stating the Pastor won’t go ahead with it….PUSSY!

With all that is being said (and done) on this topic, I’m beginning to think that the definition of being American is to do/say whatever, whenever, however we please to anyone (person, religion, country) we want. That’s American is it?

When will people see past partisan divisions to the real topic here – unity as a nation under the constitution? Just as bigots have the first amendment right to announce racial, religious, or any other sort of superiority complex, so do the more open minded to preach a message to combat ignorance.

This event is clearly not catering to a minority for minority’s sake – it’s to provide a bridge in a clear lapse of communication. What this FL church fails to realize is that while their actions target extremists, their actions offend the masses of peacefully practicing Muslims who happen to make up an integral part of what America is.

Steve – there probably wasn’t any outcry about Bible burnings in Afghanistan because OH RIGHT we don’t expect Afghanistan to uphold our ideals of free speech and practice of religion. Don’t go around denouncing diversity initiatives when you live the (apparently) sheltered life of being part of the majority. Maybe if we all took the time to LISTEN to one another and maybe, hm, lEARN SOMETHING NEW, we wouldn’t have gross misunderstandings on an international scale.

Stop living in your political partisanship bubble and open your eyes – we all benefit from working together.

You want this man to stop the progression of his protest then this Cordoba house, now park 51, and next what ever will please the tree huggers must not happen. I condemn the act and appluad the gesture. The people who dispise us for what we have want to cover the world with the signs of their victory. The Swiss have banned the building of mosques. WHY!?!?!? You are a muslum or you are a infidel, zionist, enemy to the cause. WAKE UP PEOPLE! I truly understand the peaceful ways of Islam but do you think that PEACE is what is pushing this growth forward, no it is not. I respect religous freedom and the words of the 1st amendment so if you say mosque at the doorstep of the towers then burn the books…..PERIOD.

What I find most ironic and amusing is how the Islamophobes know just about zilch about the Koran. Like most holy texts it’s a multiple layered text full of symbolism and metaphor, descriptions of Divinely-altered or inspired states of consciousness, rapturous lyricism, social rules, recollections of communal events and so on. If they read it they’d realize there’s a lot more there than what their bigotry projects. It’s beyond simplistic,politically motivated blanket statements, like the Bible, the Vedas, Dhammapada or so on all are. Believe me when I say that I doubt that whatever Source there is to the Universe is a lot bigger in Mindset than Its supposed ‘Defenders’ are.

I say burn a pile of all religious tomes. Throw the bible on that fire as well as the Torah and every other religions crazy BS you can find.
This planet would be well to do with a whole lot less religion, of all varieties.
Muslims really need to hit the doctors up for some meds too. They are way too wound up.
Why is it that no one on the planet can insult them, but they can go out every day and pull their insane crap and it seems to be no problem.
Bottom line is, a lot of people see Islam as the religion of hate and there don’t seem to be many Muslims out there trying to change that image.
I am a bit sick and tired of this crap. Obama is pushing for peace with the Palestinians and Israel. How many administrations have gone down this road already? Enough is enough. Put short range nukes in everyone’s hands over there and grab some popcorn, it will be a great show.

The thing is, we don’t have the European styled free speech where that that is perceived as hurtful is outlawed -even if true. It requires a different strategy here, this is the frustration. Here the supreme leader “won’t comment of the wisdom”. And, everyday we learn more about the religion of peace, the main stream media and liberalism in general.

Is testing tolerence Intolerent? Else, how would you know tolerence?

I haven’t seen the “unburnable Quran” yet, but I can see November from where I’m sitting.

at first I was a little put off by the title….but as I read about it I’m actually really interested…too bad I’m in TX…I don’t think any demonstrations for or against Islam should be going on Saturday at all….. I think if there should be anything going on this Saturday it should be mourning the deaths of those killed on Sept 11th 2001, or the deaths of the soldiers in the two wars; thereafter. That should be the main focus….EVEN IF it’s in their own religion. I actually find protests on a Devastating American Anniversary to be quite insulting. Similar to the mosque being built near Groudn Zero, and the Burning of the Quran. (Which mind you is not just a text believed by people in the MIddle East but all over the world. Even in our own military!)

I am extremely curious though what American Islams have to say, and what they’re take on this is…and what it is that Christian Americans are mislead to believe…..for myself I know I’d feel better knowing the truth about the 9/11 attacks rather then hearsay from the media or traveling gossip….then again, Christians aren’t represented by just this radical pastor attempting to commit a terrorist act on our one of our Nations Saddest Anniversarys. Just like the opinion and views of this group out of Skidmore may not neccesarily be the views of all American Islams?

I could go either way…weighing the multiple possibilities. I WOULD go to educate myself. But since it’s 2000 miles away…I don’t think I can make the trip lol

I will suggest to learn quran yourself and you will find the truth. Quran guide us towards nature and show us the path where we all are one. Quran teach us how to convert our individual thinking into collective thinking so that peace prevail in our society.